I am trying to do 3 rows of knit and 3 rows of purls but it works for a bit and then all the sudden it all looks the same...I know knits and purls are essentially the same thing but they are not creating the distinct bands that I was getting earlier...what did I do?!?

You may be skipping rows or starting to alternate knit and purl rows instead of doing 3 rows of each. On one side the piece should look like 2 rows of Vs separated by purl bumps and on the other side like 2 rows of purl bumps separated by a row of Vs.
Maybe using a row counter or putting hash marks on a piece of paper after completed rows would help?